A state of emergency has been declared in Evros, as on Thursday
afternoon, the water level in the river reached 6 metres 15cm, with the
danger level at 5.70 metres. With his Bulgarian counterpart, Foreign
Minister Petros Molyviatis discussed controls in Bulgaria of volumes of
water channeled from the River Arda into Evros. Teams in the prefecture
proceeded to break up dykes in Lavara, Amorio and Pithio, as a
controlled flood was conducted over an area covering 15,000 acres.
Pumping equipment is at the scene, with loading machines and a
consignment of 10,000 sacks to build up the dykes. The General
Secretary of Civil Protection Panagiotis Fourlas is on his way to
Evros, and he has called on those who work in areas close to the
riverbanks to evacuate their machinery and animals.

Measures to be Taken

Emergency measures are to be taken to deal with the situation with the
River Evros, after the meeting held on Thursday afternoon in Orestiada
between the General Secretary of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace Michalis
Angelopoulos, the Nomarchs of Evros and Andrianoupoli Nikos Zambounidis
and Nusret Miroglu, mayors from river areas and delegates from
services.

In order for the Turkish side to have a full picture of the volume of
water in the Evros area, which is likely to reach Andrianopoli in the
next few hours, checks were made in the areas of the Kyprinos and
Kastanies dykes.

The following was decided in the meeting:

By the Turkish side: to create an area of artificial barrier for the
water on the Turkish side at the points of the villages Pithio,
Petrades, Psathades, Mandra and Kornofolia.

By the Greek side: to create a second artificial barrier for the
water following that already made in the early hours in the Pithio
area at about 07:30, this time at the villages of Lavara and Amorio,
whose residents were warned in time by the Mayor of Orfeas Mr Vangelis
Poulilios.

The General Secretary of the Region Michalis Angelopoulos stated that
"the safety of residents is paramount and the whole plan guarantees
this."

"The situation is exceedingly critical, and as the hours go by, the
probability of a large flood gets stronger," stressed the Nomarch,
Nikos Zambounidis.

In the north of the Prefecture, 20,000 acres of agricultural land and
grazing areas were flooded, while damage was caused to the road
network.

Translated by Millie Williams

Related News:

Overflowing Rivers in Evros

[02] One Day Before the Hierarchy's Assembly Attica Bishop Launches Threats

17 Feb 2005 17:21:00

By Annita Paschalinou

Changes in the Church are radical one day before the critical assembly
of the Hierarchy. The Metropolitan Bishop of Attica, who appeared
earlier today before a three-member committee, did not accept to submit
his resignation, which was allegedly asked of him to facilitate the
entire situation, and counterattacked, threatening to proceed with
accusations involving other Hierarchs if he is removed from office. At
the same time, one more Metropolitan Bishop is under the Synods
microscope, but his name and the charges against remain sealed for the
time being. Earlier, a message, which appeared yesterday on the
official website of the Church of Greece, has caused harsh reactions.
Evangelos Antonaros stressed that he does not "feel a member of any
circus," while Giorgos Papandreou said that the message, which referred
to a "political-journalistic circus guided by unknown circles and
turning against justices and politicians," questions the process of
clean up in the Church.

Distance from the Archdiocese

The Archdiocese clarified that the particular message does not reflect
its views and was posted without its approval. "Neither the Holy Synod,
nor the Athens Holy Archdiocese were aware of the existence of the
message, which appeared yesterday in the newsletter Pronaos and was
posted on the Churchs website. Its content does not reflect its views,
or have its approval," stressed the head of the Archbishoprics press
office, Charis Konidaris. The journalistic group of the Church's
website chose the particular message and posted it on the page under
the section News, from where it was permanently retracted a few hours
later.

Panteleimon Won't Resign and Launches Threats

At the same time, preparations for tomorrow's emergency assembly of the
Hierarchy are feverish. The Metropolitan Bishop of Attica,
Panteleimon, for whom the Holy Synod has proceeded with harsh
penalties, appeared today before the three-member committee and pleaded
with them to let him serve, even in some remote areas.

In fact, according to NET radio 105.8 information, he threatened to
proceed with revelations involving other Hierarchs, if he is dismissed.
As he claimed, he has evidence from the time he served as a secretary
and minute taker of the Holy Synod in the 70s.

At the same time, he sent a letter to all the Metropolitan Bishops, in
which he spoke of a war stirred by centers familiar to all which
operate at the St Efraim Monastery and are masterminded by Metropolitan
Bishop Nikodimos Gatziroulis. Investigation on Koulousousa Freezes

What is more, it appears that the Holy Synod will not go ahead with
investigating the case of Serafeim Koulousousas, who resigned from the
Archbishop's private office, as according to his own statements he is
not a clergyman any longer.

Speaking in Eleftherotipia, Koulousousas stressed that his decision not
to remain in the Church was intentional and legal. The former
Archimandrite refuted the alleged suicide (publicized in Avriani ), an
issue for which they had asked Metropolitan Bishop Theoklitos of
Thessaliotida to provide explanations.

He also revealed that his immediate plans include going into the army,
getting a job and having a family.

New Supportive Statements by Mitsotakis

In the meantime, Konstantinos Mitsotakis made new statements today in
favour of Archbishop Christodoulos. ND Honorary President expressed
the hope that the Hierarchy will support the measures proposed by
Christodoulos and referring to the issue of separation between the
State and the Church, he underlined that no such step can be taken for
the time being. "Such a thing is a distanced target," he added.

Apostolos Vavilis intends to turn himself in to the police, according
to journalist information. Speaking on NETs programme, "The Colours of
the Spectrum", the Minister of Public Order, Mr Voulgarakis, expressed
the certainty that Vavilis would be arrested and guaranteed his safety
if he should decide to hand himself in. At the same time, information
is coming in stating that Vavilis is alleged to have sent a letter to
the High Court Public Prosecutor asking for guarantees of a fair
trial.

The president of PASOK launched a harsh attack on the government during
a Press conference. Mr Papandreou stressed that the inventory taken by
Messrs Alogoskoufis and Karamanlis as well as their management of
fiscal matters have had disastrous consequences on the Greek economy,
and that problems are continually intensifying. He said that the Greek
economy is now under observation and that causes additional problems
for low-income strata and pensioners.

PASOK Aims to Create an Open Party

Besides this, Mr Papandreou claimed that PASOK would soon return to
power and raised the question of whether the government can get through
their four-year term. He stressed that a reshuffle is not going to
solve the essential problems of the Greek citizen, stating that if it
is to happen, it will be to make an impression and to avoid further
pressure from parties stating that the Prime Minister and the
government should do something.

At the same time, he noted that PASOK exercises responsible, serious
and substantiated Opposition, and that the party is now bouncing back
after its defeat in the elections.

"On the occasion of the convention, PASOK is becoming reconnected with
society and ordinary people. Our aim is an open party, with a new face.
PASOKs new leaders will come from new, collective evaluation processes.
Our aim in the next elections is to bring hope back to Greece,"
underlined Mr Papandreou.

With a complete plan to attract American producers in his luggage,
Dimitris Avramopoulos is to visit Hollywood, the heart of the American
film industry, in the first few days of March. The aim of the visit is
to develop tourism through movies, which will be filmed in Greece and
then take images of Greece all over the world. This is a recipe for
success, if one takes into consideration the incredible increase in
foreign tourists visiting Cephallonia, after the making of the film
"Captain Corellis Mandolin".

Film At the Services of Tourism

The leaders of the Ministry of Tourism wish to open up to the
international market.

This means that after Dimitris Avramopoulos trip to the United Arab
Emirates, where the first Greek agencies will open, he will also visit
New York and Los Angeles, aiming to reinforce Greek tourism. In Los
Angeles, more specifically in Hollywood, the possibilities offered by
Greece to film production will be presented to large cinema companies.

Presenting Greece through film is taken for granted and promises an
increase in tourists choosing Greece as a destination.

Strategic Moves

These trips are among the strategic moves made by the Ministry to
reinforce tourism.

The Minister is optimistic about increases in Greek tourism, and as he
says, for the first time this year, the advertising campaign for 2005
started in plenty of time last December and will finish at the end of
May.

At the same time, he announced that the much-desired creation of
offices for convention tourism will soon become a reality, while
especial weight is put on developing special kinds of tourism.

Within the next few days, the Bill on health tourism will be ready and
will be submitted to Parliament, while by the end of the month, the new
eco-tourism organization will also be ready.

Furthermore, the Hellenic Tourism Board is also creating a marketing
director position.

At the same time, at the offices of the Union of Foreign Press
Correspondents, a library will be created with a centre for foreign
language tourist and cultural reports, which will be funded with 43,000
euros from the Ministry.

The new legislation regarding travel agencies is also in its final
stages.

The Prime Minister is continuing his meetings with MPs in his party.
Today, a further seven MPs crossed the threshold of Maximos Mansion in
order to discuss the problems of their constituencies with Mr
Karamanlis, while reference was made to current affairs. Mr Kostas
Gioulekas, MP for Thessalonki A, told the PM of the problems faced by
the Thessaloniki area, while he also referred to the ecclesiastic
crisis, expressing the belief that autocatharsis would operate in the
Church. MP for Evros Stavros Keletsis briefed Mr Karamanlis on the
floods afflicting his Prefecture and the damage that has been caused,
while he also noted that public administration and bureaucracy hinder
development, on which point the Prime Minister also agreed.

Focus on Church Crisis

Following this, besides briefing the PM on the problems faced by his
prefecture, the MP for Trikala Nikos Legas also discussed the progress
of the 3rd CAP.

On the other hand, the MP for Magnisia, Zeta Makri stressed that the
old Constitution said that the ultimate leader should protect the
dominant religion, and now that it is no longer in force (the old
Constitution) the Church should perform autocatharsis.

The MP for Halkidiki Vasilis Pappas briefed the Prime Minister on the
problems of unemployment as well as the matter of Halkidiki mines.
Finally, commenting on reports on the archbishops webpage, the MP for
Kavala Giorgos Kalantzis stressed that if it were referring to
politics, the curtain would be certain to fall tomorrow.

As per an article on Thursdays The Times, approximately 30kg of
plutonium, a quantity sufficient to manufacture seven to eight nuclear
bombs, has disappeared from Britains major nuclear site. The British
government is claiming that it could be an auditing problem, while they
added that are no indications that the material has actually
disappeared. The plutonium, which is highly radioactive and toxic, is
missing from the Sellafield plant in NW Britain, where it was being
kept. Many of the experts quoted in the article have expressed their
concerns. The government is expected to proceed with an official
announcement regarding the validity of the article by the end of the
day.

Receiving the credentials of the new Ambassador of the Republic of
Cyprus in Moscow, Leonidas Pantelidis, Vladimir Putin underlined
Russias willingness to contribute actively to a solution to the Cyprus
problem. "We are ready now and in the future, to contribute actively to
achieving a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, based on
United Nations Security Council resolutions," stressed the President of
Russia, underlining that there are long-term traditions of friendship
with the Republic of Cyprus. Answering a relevant question earlier
today, the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, Mr Koumoutsakos, stated
that there can be no estimations as to when a new initiative on the
Cyprus problem will start. He added that for such a possibility, the
conditions and framework of the discussions will have to have been
established.

As announced by American President George Bush, John Negroponte has
been appointed to the position of Chief of National Intelligence
Services. This is a new position, created as part of the reforms in
American intelligence services. "Johns appointment comes at a historic
moment for our countrys intelligence services. In the war against
terrorists who target innocent civilians and are still trying to
acquire weapons of mass destruction, the intelligence services are the
first line in our defence," declared Bush.

His Duties

The American President stressed that Negroponte will "lead a united
community," while the director of the CIA will also report to him.

He will oversee 15 American information-gathering services and will
brief George Bush on a daily basis.

Negroponte has been US Ambassador to Iraq for less than a year. His
appointment now has to be ratified by the Senate.

The USA ask for signs of change in Damascus policy, one day after Irans
announcement to "help Syria on all grounds to confront threats." "Syria
and Iran have to respect their commitments (towards the international
community)" stressed the White House, while the date of US ambassadress
Margaret Scobeys return to Damascus remains unknown. Mrs Scobey
returned to Washington for "emergency consultations." It should be
noted that before her departure, she had talks with the Syrian Foreign
Minister, to whom she expressed "the USAs indignation" at the murder of
Hariri. The US Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, referred to the
matter accusing Syria of harmful policy in the Middle East. In the
meantime, Jordanian Foreign Minister Hani Al-Mulqi will travel to
Damascus on Thursday to help scale back the tension between Syria and
the USA.

Tension After Hariri's Assassination

At the same time, Washington is looking into the possibility of
imposing sanctions on Syria for refusing to withdraw its 14,000
soldiers from the Lebanon. As for Syria, it claims the accusations
against it regarding the murder of former Lebanese PM Hariri are
absurd, while a top Syrian Minister said: "Accusing Damascus of a
terrorist attack aiming to destabilize both Syria and Lebanon, is like
accusing the USA of the 11 September terrorist attack."

During his stay in Damascus, the Jordanian Foreign Minister will invite
the Syrian leadership to "positively cope" with the UN Security Council
decision, which provides for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from
Lebanon. At the same time, he expressed his concern for the return of
the American ambassadress to the USA, describing the relations of the
USA with the Middle East as "very important."

Adopting a relevant proposal from the Commission, the Council of
Economy Ministers and Currency Affairs of the European Union today
decided to give Greece until the end of 2006 to reduce the fiscal
deficit. The deficit should be reduced to below 3% of the GDP, as
stated in the Stability Pact. Furthermore, Greece should postpone the
approved stability programme in which it presents the economic measures
to be implemented in the short and medium term until 31 March 2005. At
the same time, Ecofin hailed the Greek governments pledge to continue
efforts towards fiscal stabilizing.

Violence in stadiums, economic clean up in FCs and the post-Olympic
progress of Greek sport in general were the main topics of Prime
Minister Mr Karamanlis meeting with the deputy Minister for Sport
Giorgos Orfanos at Maximos Mansion. The Prime Minister expressed his
satisfaction with action being taken to combat violence as well as to
clean up professional football, while his message was "the law will be
strictly applied."

Funding for Federations

As was also stressed, another basic aim regards the Beijing Olympic
Games in 2008.

In the meeting, another matter under discussion was the infrastructure
gained by Greece through hosting the Olympic Games, as well as school
sports, in which the State takes especial interest.

In the meantime, Mr Orfanos signed decisions with which all sports
Federations will receive a preliminary sum as part of funding for 2005.
The total of these initial grants is 10,285,000 euros.

Nikos Karageorgiou, who succeeded Austrian coach Rolf Fringer met PAOKs
players for the first time today. Mr Karageorgiou, who in the past
played for PAOK with an especially great career, has had just as
successful a path as a coach, changing Xanthis face in the First
Division, turning the regional team into one of the big players.
Arriving at the training grounds, the experienced coach did not hide
his joy at returning to his old team, at the same time asking to be
given both time and support by the teams fans for the difficult task he
is undertaking.

Press Conference Tomorrow

"I feel pleased to be in the place where I once served as a player. I
want to believe that I will go through happy moments here again," were
the first words of the new coach of the northern team.

He went on to say: "It is not good for footballers to hear instructions
from three different coaches in just one year. We all have to work for
PAOK to do better. I want the teams fans to give me time. I want to
turn the smoke into a flame overflowing with optimism and for smiles to
return to PAOK."

Tomorrow (Friday) at 13:00, PAOK FC will officially present Nikos
Karageorgiou in a Press conference in the Press Room at Toumba
Stadium.

During his official presentation by Panathinaikos, the new coach,
Italian Alberto Malesani, asked Totis Fylakouris (Pananthinaikos coach
until yesterday) to become his associate if he wishes so. Mr Malesani
expressed his content for coming to Greece and underlined that his new
team most known in his country than any other Greek team- can maintain
their title this year. At the same time, the Italian coach did not hide
his admiration for Panathinaikos' strength in yesterday's match against
Sevilla for the UEFA Cup round of 32. PAO President Argiris Mitsou
expressed his optimism for the team's future and the long collaboration
with the Italian coach, whom he praised.

At the Thursday meeting with the Minister of Health, Nikitas
Kaklamanis, the Prime Minister gave the green light to two Bills. The
first regards the reorganization of the National Health System (ESY)
and Social Solidarity and will be submitted to Parliament next Monday
or Tuesday. The second regards the establishment of measures for the
protection of public health. What is more, a draft Bill on primary
health care was submitted to the Health Minister. "All these and
another three Bills already announced, mean that by the end of 2005 80%
of the ND pre-electoral programme on health will have been completed,"
said Mr Kaklamanis.

Public Dialogue and Collaborations

Regarding the Primary Health Care, the Minister underlined that a
wide-range public dialogue is imperative. "This Bill," said Mr
Kaklamanis, "is not going to be ready before September-October 2005,"
while he underlined the collaboration with Employment Minister, as the
IKA Health sector will be integrated in the ESY. What is more, Mr
Kaklamanis spoke of a series of Bills regarding the quality of Health,
protection measures for poorer families, exploitation of the ministry's
property, pharmaceutical policy the last in collaboration with
Development Minister- which will be promoted soon. The Minister
refuted articles which claimed that employees' representatives would
not participate in Hospital Board meetings, underlining that the
participation will be increased. Lastly, regarding the ecclesiastical
crisis, he said that "the PM has taken an official stand on the issue
and the ministers share the same opinion."

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[16] By a US Business Delegation Provocative Visit in Occupied Territory

17 Feb 2005 15:11:00

By Viki Keleri

The delegation of US businessmen in the Occupied territory of Cyprus
escorted by the US Commercial Attache in Ankara has caused the harsh
reaction of the Cypriot political world. The president of the
Turkish-Cypriot chamber of commerce Ali Erel welcomed the business
delegation, mainly including Turkish businessmen and representatives of
US companies in Turkey, which he described as a good start and a "clear
message that there are no obstacles for business activities in the
occupied areas." The Legal Committee of the Cypriot House of
Representatives and the President of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos,
condemned the visit.

Protest Letter to US Ambassador

At the same time, the chairman of the House Standing Committee on Trade
and Industry, Lefteris Christoforou, sent a protest letter to the US
Ambassador to Nicosia, Michael Klosson.

"We are deeply amazed that this evidently provocative action by US
businessmen is held under the tolerance and perhaps the consent of your
government and is favoured by your support," said Mr Christoforou.

He also stressed that "with your activities you are provoking the
Cypriot people's sense of righteousness and do not assist in finding a
solution to the Cypriot issue.

In the meantime, according to information broadcast by RIK, the manager
of the US company Oracle, in a letter to the Cypriot Foreign Minister,
said that his company was not informed and therefore had nothing to do
with the visit of its Turkish representative in the occupied
territory.